The invention is related to an apparatus and method for monitoring a woman""s menstrual cycle. More particularly, the invention is related to a mnemonic-based approach for monitoring a woman""s menstrual cycle.
Worldwide, substantial numbers of women use periodic abstinence as their method of family planning. This method of family planning, generally referred to as the xe2x80x9crhythm method,xe2x80x9d typically involves recognition of a woman""s fertile period using any one of various methods, including a xe2x80x9cguessxe2x80x9d based on the length of her menstrual cycle. Ovulation may be assumed to occur mid-cycle, and thus the period of abstinence is set accordingly. Unfortunately, although some women have an accurate understanding of their reproductive cycle and thus know when they are most likely to be fertile, many users of periodic abstinence lack such an understanding, thereby preventing them from reliably using period abstinence as a means for preventing pregnancy. In fact, it has been estimated that of the 50 to 60 million women who use periodic abstinence to avoid pregnancy, more than one third have little or no information about their own fertility. Despite the lack of reliability of many rhythm-based techniques, various religious, philosophic, or health considerations nevertheless have led many women to adopt these techniques.
Because knowledge of a woman""s reproductive cycle could be used by a woman to assist in determining whether to refrain from or engage in intercourse, depending if conception is desired, various techniques have been developed for tracking the reproductive cycle. For example, some researchers have proposed methods of predicting ovulation that are based on biochemical changes in various body fluids, such as saliva, vaginal secretions, or urine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,186 to Regas et al. is directed to a method and apparatus for predicting and detecting the onset of ovulation. The method involves essentially measuring the electrical resistivity of the user""s saliva, and by observing peaks and nadirs of changes in the saliva resistivity, ovulation and fertility periods are predicted. The onset of ovulation can be further established by measuring the electrical resistivity of vaginal mucus, which, during the fertile period, shows a nadir on the day immediately preceding ovulation.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,591 to Henderson et al. discloses a device for the in vivo detection of refractive indices of cervical mucus at a female""s cervical os. The device detects in vivo physiological changes in a female""s cervical mucus, with the changes correlating with the timing of ovulation and thus providing a marker for the fertile period of the menstrual cycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,630 to Glaze is directed to a method for determining periodic infertility in females. The natural birth control method comprises observance of the first day of menses followed by measurement of urinary progesterone metabolite levels beginning a predetermined number of days after the first day of menses. Urinary progesterone metabolite measurement is performed on days of planned sexual activity until the concentration level exceeds a threshold value indicative of ovulation occurring more than 24 hours previously. Once such a threshold value is observed, the woman may discontinue testing and can consider herself unable to conceive until after the beginning of the subsequent menstrual cycle.
Despite these developments, there exists a need for alternative means for a woman to accurately predict her fertile window. Further, because many women discontinue use of a given apparatus and method, and millions of women do not use any apparatus or method, there exists a need for a simple, inexpensive alternative apparatus and method.
In particular, despite the aforementioned developments, there exists a need for a less intrusive apparatus and method for monitoring a woman""s menstrual cycle, based on a xe2x80x9cfertile windowxe2x80x9d during each woman""s menstrual cycle when she can become pregnant. In addition, there exists a need for an apparatus and method for helping a woman identify her fertile window to permit informed decisions about whether to avoid intercourse if she does not want to become pregnant. Further, there exists a need for a mnemonic-based apparatus and method for monitoring a woman""s menstrual cycle.
The invention is related to a menstrual cycle monitor for a human female including an initial indicator provided with first indicia representing a first day of menstrual bleeding, a second set of indicators formed by six indicators disposed adjacent one another, each of the six indicators provided with second indicia representing early infertile days, a third set of indicators formed by twelve indicators disposed adjacent one another, each of the twelve indicators provided with third indicia representing fertile days, and a fourth set of indicators formed by thirteen indicators disposed adjacent one another representing later infertile days. The indicators together form an ordered set with the initial indicator disposed adjacent an indicator from the second set, the second set disposed between the initial indicator and the third set, the third set disposed between the second and fourth sets, and an indicator from the fourth set disposed adjacent an indicator from the third set. A twenty-seventh indicator of the ordered set is determined by counting each consecutive indicator starting with the initial indicator, and the twenty-seventh indicator is provided with different indicia from indicia provided to the other indicators in the fourth set.
In some embodiments, the ordered set of indicators are coupled together. Also, the ordered set may include a thirty-second indicator determined by counting each consecutive indicator starting with the initial indicator, with the indicators of the ordered set being coupled together so that the thirty-second indicator is coupled to the initial indicator. In addition, a final indicator may be provided with fifth indicia representing the end of the menstrual cycle, the final indicator being disposed between the initial indicator and thirty-second indicator.
The first, second, third, and fifth indicia may each comprise a shape, and the fifth indicia shape may be different from the first, second, and third indicia shapes. Each indicator may be a bead, and the beads may be coupled together to form a loop. The beads may be tear-drop shaped. In another embodiment, the ordered set may be disposed in an open-ended linear form.
The menstrual cycle monitor also may include a movable marker for placement around and/or coupling to an indicator. A resilient band, sized to fit snugly around an indicator, may serve as the movable marker. The movable marker may be coupled to the ordered set.
The first, second, and third indicia may be different colors. In some embodiments, the indicia of the twenty-seventh indicator may be a first color, the indicia of the other indicators in the fourth set may be a second color, and the first color may be different from the second color. The indicators of the fourth set may be provided with luminescent indicia. Further, the indicia of the twenty-seventh indicator may be a first shape and the indicia of the other indicators in the fourth set may be a second shape, with the first shape being different from the second shape. The indicia of the indicators in the fourth set other than the twenty-seventh indicator may be the same as the second indicia. Also, the second indicia and the indicia of the indicators in the fourth set other than the twenty-seventh indicator may be the same color. The indicia provided to the indicators in the fourth set may also comprise shape and color.
The menstrual cycle monitor may further include a foldable case having an inner portion, a first annular region with a marker disposed thereon, and a second annular region with the ordered set disposed thereon. The first and second annular regions may be coupled to the inner portion of the foldable case and concentric about a central axis. At least one of the first and second annular regions may be rotatable with respect to the other, and the indicators of the ordered set may be indexed with the marker so that the marker is alignable with each indicator.
In some embodiments, a third annular region with date indicia representing days of the week may be included, with the third annular region being concentric about the central axis. The date indicia may be all the days of the week for five weeks, wherein the days of the five weeks begin with a Sunday, end with a Saturday, and are listed consecutively in order of occurrence in a week. The date indicia may be indexed with the indicators of the ordered set so that the date indicia are alignable with each indicator.
The second annular region may be fixed with respect to the foldable case, and the first and third annular regions may be independently rotatable with respect to the second annular region. The first annular region may have an inner diameter and the second annular region may have an outer diameter, with the outer diameter being about the same as or smaller than the inner diameter so that the first annular region is rotatable about an edge of the second annular region defined at the outer diameter. In addition, the second annular region may have an inner diameter and the third annular region may have an outer diameter, with the outer diameter being about the same as or smaller than the inner diameter so that the third annular region is rotatable about an edge of the second annular region defined at the inner diameter.
The date indicia may be indexed with the indicators of the ordered set so that the date indicia are alignable with each indicator at rotatable indexed positions, and the first and third annular regions may be releasably lockable in the rotatable indexed positions. At least two of the first, second, and third annular regions may be disposed at different heights. In some embodiments, the ordered set is disposed clockwise on the second annular region beginning with the initial indicator.
The marker may be an arrow and the indicators of the ordered set may be dots. The first indicia may be a first color, the second indicia may be a second color, and the third indicia may be a third color, with the first, second, and third colors being different from each other. Also, the indicia of the twenty-seventh indicator may be a fourth color, and the indicia of the other indicators in the fourth set may be the second color, with the fourth color being different from the second color.
The menstrual cycle monitor may include a first region with a marker disposed thereon, and a second region with the ordered set disposed thereon. At least one of the first and second regions may be annular and rotatable with respect to the other, and the indicators of the ordered set may be indexed with the marker so that the marker is alignable with each indicator at rotatable indexed positions. The first and second regions may be annular and concentric about a central axis and may be generally disposed in the same plane. Furthermore, the menstrual cycle monitor may include a central display region for indicating time and/or a watch band or bracelet.
The at least one of the first and second regions may be unidirectionally rotatable in clockwise or counterclockwise fashion and releasably lockable in the rotatable indexed positions. The first region may have an inner diameter and the second region may have an outer diameter, the outer diameter being about the same as or smaller than the inner diameter so that the first region is rotatable about an edge of the second region defined at the outer diameter. A central display region may be included for indicating time, with the second region being fixed in location with respect to the central display region. At least one of the first and second regions may be manually rotatable with respect to the other. In some embodiments, at least one of the first and second regions is automatically rotatable with respect to the other.
The ordered set of indicators of the menstrual cycle monitor may be displayed electronically, and the marker may be displayed electronically as well. The ordered set may be graphically displayed on a computer monitor, the screen of a hand-held computer, or displayed via internet communications.
The invention also relates to a method of monitoring the menstrual cycle of a human female including: providing an initial indicator with first indicia representing a first day of menstrual bleeding; providing a second set of indicators comprising six indicators disposed adjacent one another, each of the six indicators provided with second indicia representing early infertile days; providing a third set of indicators comprising twelve indicators disposed adjacent one another, each of the twelve indicators provided with third indicia representing fertile days; providing a fourth set of indicators comprising thirteen indicators disposed adjacent one another representing later infertile days; ordering the indicators together to form an ordered set with the initial indicator disposed adjacent an indicator from the second set, the second set disposed between the initial indicator and the third set, the third set disposed between the second and fourth sets, and an indicator from the fourth set disposed adjacent an indicator from the third set, with the ordered set including a twenty-seventh indicator determined by counting each consecutive indicator starting with the initial indicator; providing the twenty-seventh indicator with different indicia from indicia provided to the other indicators in the fourth set.